Abstract

This is a case study exploring the role of private primary education in Barbados in maintaining social inequality by offering better employment opportunities, higher income, social status and social mobility to some but not all people. The development of an equitable and effective system of education in Barbados is constrained by a number of factors, some imposed by former colonial powers and now perpetuated, by the current government and some generated by economic, political and socio-cultural factors. Societies like Barbados, undergoing change and development, are often characterized by an interplay between the formerly dominant cultural patterns and emerging new ones, by shifting traditions as well as by change in the power relationships between different social classes. Black leadership and independence became the active mechanism in promoting a sense of national harmony among the black population and promised expectations for a quality of life that was unheard of by their forefathers. However, continued control of private enterprise by the white minority guarantees its dominance in many prestigious occupations even within the confines of a black government. This control and ownership of capital by the white minority effectively guarantees inequality in the social structure which is subsequently nurtured in the education system, mirroring the class structure of the larger society. Today, although the division is not based on racial lines, there is still a divide in the population based on class lines. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, conclusions are formulated in terms of further work to be accomplished in order to verify the effectiveness of the changes that are taking place.